Abstract
Unlike with cervical and lumbar spinal lesions, posterior decompression of thoracic canal stenosis is not so effective because of physiological kyphosis of the thoracic spine, especially when a stenosing factor exists in the ventral part of the spinal canal. Our new method of full-circular decompression through a single posterior approach resolves this problem. After performing wide laminectomy at the affected levels, a long air-driven burr is introduced at each segment through the central spongiosa of the pedicle bilaterally into the vertebral bodies making a V-shaped canal in them. The posterior aspect of the vertebral bodies, the floating triangular bones, are pushed down anteriorly into the vertebral bodies and the spinal canal is ultimately enlarged.
